Lovin' In My Baby's Eyes
by reflecting
Summary: Based on a prompt asking for Sterek, self-esteem issues and bullying. Full prompt in notes. "He'd forgotten what assholes high school teenagers can be, too focused on getting this thing with Stiles right to notice how the others interacted with him without Derek's supervision."


**Pairing: **Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski (established relationship)

**Genre: **AU, canon divergence, future fic, emotional hurt/comfort, romance

**Tags: **Low self-esteem, bullying, h/c

**Notes: **Title from the song with Taj Mahal because when I can't think of titles I scroll through my playlist and pick on random. I'm that awesome.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ENGLISH ISN'T MY FIRST LANGUAGE. Please excuse any typoc/grammatical errors :)

**Prompt:**

_Sterek, self esteem issues, bullying_

_When Derek and Stiles (finally) get together, the pack basically laughs and wonders what blackmail material Stiles has on Derek to make him go along with it. Because obviously Derek is a solid 12 while Stiles is maybe a 3 on a good day and come on, this is not a romcom._

_Queue pissed off Derek because it took him too damn long already to convince Stiles he's serious about this relationship and that Stiles is everything he'd ever want._

_In short: low self esteem!Stiles, mocking!Pack, furious!Derek and much comfort._

So this turned out to be just...fluff. With the pack being grade A assholes. I'm slightly ashamed. But, YOLO.

* * *

**.**

**Lovin' In My Baby's Eyes**

**.**

To say Derek was slightly annoyed at what others might call a slight inconvenience would be to drastically understate his current mood. On a scale of zen to ripping nails out one by one before setting loins on fire, he was ascending so quickly he was quite possibly breaking the sound barrier. It damn well wasn't a slight inconvenience he was forced to deal with, he'd invested too much and worked too hard at this to have it unravel because of petty-minded bullies, whose world view went no further than the stale, foul and pathetic high school mentality.

It had taken Derek _two weeks_ to plant the seed of _dating_ in Stiles Stilinski's mind and have him seriously consider it without sarcastic retorts of 10 year plans and a standing engagement with his left hand, followed by self-deprecating laughter. What followed was a painful months of developing _that_ and morph it into _dating Derek_, specifically. There had been a seemingly endless string of misconceptions he'd been forced to set straight and shoot down, making the first few actual dates somewhat less than ideal if it weren't for the fact that it had been _working_, damn it.

* * *

_"Dude, we've known each other for two years. We've even been on more or less friendly grounds for, like, a year of that. Granted, we communicate mostly by snark; you with your eyebrows, claws and flexing biceps while I stick to flailing limbs and sarcasm. But it works, you know, so – uh, where was I going with this? Oh! Right. Why now, dude?"_

_"You're the son of the Sheriff, Stiles, I wasn't going to start anything until you were legal. Not if this is going to go the way I want it to."_

_"…Riiiight, gotcha."_

_"Stiles, I'm serious."_

_"Sure you are, Grumpy. Hey thanks for the fries, by the way, but gotta run. The grocery shopping won't do itself! See ya later, Wolf-man!"_

_"Stiles!"_

* * *

Derek had gotten as far as Stiles actually treating the dates as _dates_, he'd even managed a few kisses and make-out sessions without Stiles second-guessing it the moment his mouth was unoccupied. It had been a frustrating process, but Derek hadn't been overly concerned because there was _progress_ and while he maintained Stiles appealed to him in every way, the crippling self-esteem of his boyfriend (not _sort-of_ boyfriend, as Stiles had been insisting for the last two months) was more than a little exasperating. He'd understood Stiles had never been very high on the social hierarchy of high school, but it went deeper than that, and Derek was determined one day get to the bottom of it. He would help Stiles realize his own self-worth as Stiles had helped him conquer his anger and his fear.

It had been going so well, if a bit slow, but then…then what he'd dismissed as teasing comments and fond taunting apparently reached a breaking point. Derek admits some of his fury is directed at himself for not picking up on it sooner, but pack isn't suppose to direct malice towards its _own_, it had seem inconceivable now that they were _steady_. He'd forgotten what _assholes_ high school teenagers can be, too focused on getting this thing with Stiles _right_ to notice how the others interacted with him without Derek's supervision. He'd like to say all it had taken was one snide comment, a wrongful observation and a misunderstanding to cause this but in truth this had probably been building up since the beginning and the thought of his work being undermined on every step of the way just served to infuriate him further. No wonder Stiles had been so resistant.

That Stiles was treating this whole mess as inevitable in a resigned, broken 'oh well, it was good for a little while, at least' sort of way just twisted the knife that little bit further. Derek's looks had always been a bit of a blessing as well as a curse, but never had he hated the expectations society put on something as bland as _physical appearances_ as he did right now.

* * *

_"Dude, _how_?", Scott had said, Allison equally surprised, to which Stiles had shrugged and replied, "I know right?"_

_._

_"Better enjoy it while it lasts, Stilinski," he remembers Erica sneering at some point as Boyd snorted. Stiles had grinned, cheer fake and sour. "I intend to!"_

_._

_ "Wolf packs have an Alpha pair, right?" Lydia had commented over research once. "I wonder what Derek looks for in an Alpha female. It's a pity I can't take the bite, I'd excel at it, don't you think?" Nodding, Stiles hadn't taken his eyes off the book he was browsing through for information on goblins. "You're scarily intelligent; you could conquer the world if you set your mind to it, Jolene."_

_._

_"God I can't understand how Derek can stand being around you, Stilinski," Jackson had snapped at some point. "No one will be surprised when he throws you out like yesterday's trash and no one will blame him." Scratching the back of his neck, Stiles had nodded along. "No, no surprises there."_

_._

_"You haven't had sex yet?" Isaac had sounded so confused. Stiles had shrugged. "Then why does he keep you around?" Stiles hadn't answered that one._

* * *

Jesus fucking Christ. At the time, each and every one of the casual to more pointed comments said throughout the months had been heard, on Derek's part, as teasing. He doesn't understand how he didn't pick up on the genuine mocking, the hurtful probing that was just strengthening Stiles' misconceptions. Once Derek's calmed down, he might investigate why they'd treat a fellow pack member like that but for now, he had more important things to concentrate on. Infinitely more important things, like finding Stiles who hadn't answered his calls or texts for three days and whom none in the pack had heard from or seen for three more. He'd left the pack nursing more than a few bruises and was on his way over to Stiles' house for the fourth time, this time knowing his absence was more than crappy timing on Derek's part and a lot more deliberate.

Unlike his other visits, Derek didn't shrug it off when John opened the door and confirmed Stiles' absence.

"Do you know where he is, sir? He hasn't answered my calls and I'm getting worried," he said instead, frowning. John looked surprised before matching his expression, slightly uneasy.

"That doesn't sound like him, he's usually inseparable from his phone whenever you're texting him. Did something happen?"

Derek lets out a frustrated growl, flexing his hands. "His_ friends_ have been saying some hurtful stuff. It's nothing I can't handle sir; I just need to get a hold of him first."

He doesn't regret a thing as he puts the overprotective Sheriff on his pack's trail. Hopefully there are speeding tickets and intimidating hovering in the near future. At least Derek had had the motivating knowledge that it was more than worth it with Stiles on the other end of that trial; his pack would have a severely pissed off and disappointed Alpha to come back to.

"Well, if he's in a mood he's probably by the ravine. His mother used to take him there on picnics, against my better judgment," John commented, still frowning and crossing his arms over his chest where he leaned against the doorframe. "It's nothing serious, is it? Do I need to come with you?"

Derek shook his head. "I'll go to him and talk, then bring him back here and he can decide if he wants to tell you. He probably will." There wasn't much Stiles kept from his father anymore; not after the Big Reveal about a year ago. John nodded. "Take good care of my boy, Derek. Sounds like he needs it right now."

That and then some, Derek mentally replied, saluting John good bye before leaving.

He had a boyfriend to grovel and apologize to, after he'd set things straight and cleared up this mess.

* * *

Stiles smells like misery and it's all Derek can do not to whine in distress as he takes in his boyfriend sprawled on his Jeep's hood, eyes puffy from crying at some point, features stiff and dejected. Derek's been snapping some twigs on his way over as to alert Stiles of his presence but beyond a dismissive glance his way, Stiles has yet to acknowledge him.

"I wasn't flirting with the barista," Derek begins, because this is the starting point; where he was finally alerted to the_wrongness_ of what had been going on around him. "I've never been on a date with her and I'm not interested in her at all; I can't even remember her name."

Stiles stiffens at this, but nods slowly, eying his warily as Derek steps closer. "I'm not seeing someone else and you're_not_," he growls, stopping to take a deep breath, "You're not my _thing on the side_."

Huffing, Stiles looks away but Derek's not done. He steps close until he's pressed against the side of the Jeep looming over Stiles' prone body. Reaching out, he rests a hand on Stiles' chest, thumb caressing the skin of his collar peeking up from the neck of his shirt. "I meant it when I said I was serious about this, Stiles. You're my boyfriend; we've been dating for almost three months. I'm not indulging you until something better comes along, because _you're_ all I want and all I need _and then some._"

"I don't believe you," Stiles mumbles, voice weak and defeated. Derek firsts the fabric under his hand, pulling slightly so Stiles slides closer still, and bends down to bury his face in the crook of Stiles' neck and breathing in deep.

"Babe," he sighs, nuzzling behind Stiles' ear. "I know. It'll take time. We were friends before this, right?" He nods. "Then, as a friend, would you believe I would do what the others say and what you think I am doing, to someone? Do you believe I would hurt someone like that? Someone who've saved my life, and whose life I've saved? Someone I trust?"

It's silent for a few moments, Derek taking the time to enjoy Stiles' warmth against his face as he breathed in the familiar scent that always settles like a ball of simmering heat in his gut. There are traces of salt and snot wiped away with the sleeve of a hoodie that makes him want to punch someone (even if he's already punched _a lot_ of people already), but he forced himself not to focus on it lest he loses his grip on his temper again. That's not what Stiles needs right now.

"No," Stiles finally answers, shuddering before turning to press himself against Derek, arms slipping around his neck in an awkward, desperate hug. It's an awkward angle for a while before Derek is rearranging Stiles into a sitting position and putting himself between his legs, letting Stiles' knees frame his hips and Stiles buries his face in Derek's shoulder and clings tighter.

"You're smart and loyal," Derek mumbles into Stiles' ear, kissing the lobe and nuzzling the hair behind it. "You're quick witted and fast on your feet. You're a surprisingly good cook for a teenager, you're a sarcastic asshole and a nerd who talks too much but says very little. You've got beautiful eyes and a cute nose, I could spend hours playing connect the dots with your moles and freckles. You're brave and a good friend, a good son and the best boyfriend."

He can feel the heat of Stiles' blush and the unease in his squirming, but he's not letting up. His own ears are red in embarrassment but these are obvious things that need to be said because to Stiles it's not obvious at all.

"You're all I want and all I need because you don't take my shit and you're as much of a dick as I am, sometimes. Even when you're afraid you stand your ground. You argue with me and you make me laugh."

"Stop," Stiles mutters, shaking his head. "Stop babying me. I'm not a girl."

"That's sexist, babe," Derek grins, nipping at his neck. "But no, you're most definitely not. But all right, I'll stop, for now. If you promise to answer a question, okay?"

Grumbling, Stiles nods, his own face hidden in Derek's shoulder. Derek'll take it. "Do you trust me?"

A few beats of silence before Stiles is letting out a low whine, freeing a hand to beat weakly at Derek's chest. "So unfair, totally unfair, dude." Derek waits and before long Stiles is sighing. "Yes, yes I trust you. Obviously. We've had that conversation before."

"Never hurts to repeat it," Derek hums, stroking a hand down Stiles' back. "Don't listen to the others, Stiles. It doesn't matter what the fuck they say, they don't know what I want and they don't get a say in what you and I do. No one decides your worth, no one decides my opinions. Okay?"

It would take more than this, it would most of all take time, but it was nothing Derek wasn't willing to give. Stiles sighs again, leaning back and finally meeting Derek's eyes.

"I'm sort of tired of feeling like shit," he grumbles, looking so put out that Derek finds himself fighting down a fond smile. "Where did all that prose come from, dude? Did you read Twilight again?"

Rolling his eyes, Derek ignored the flush threatening to spread and leans in for a kiss that starts out chaste but it deepened when Stiles swipes his tongue across Derek's lips in invitation. Hugging Stiles closer, Derek groans in enjoyment as he licks into Stiles' heat, kisses sloppy and wet and lazy. He breaks free after a few moments, resting his forehead against Stiles' with a content hum, eyes closed.

"Ready to head back? Your dad's worried."

Stiles groans, knocking his head against Derek in frustration. "You told him? Dude!"

Smirking, Derek darts his tongue out to lick at the tip of Stiles' nose causing it to wrinkle in disgust. "C'mon babe, let's go."

"Stop calling me babe," Stiles mutters but goes willingly when Derek tugs him off the hood to maneuver him into the passenger seat. He'd forgone his own car, anticipating the need to drive Stiles home.

"You love it," Derek counters with, grinning when Stiles remains silent, only muttering under his breath with a pout. Derek had put a lot of fucking work into this, and while this had been a slight set-back, he's confident they'll work things out in time. He's not letting anyone take Stiles from him, especially not lack of self-worth or bullying shitheads. Nothing short of Stiles genuinely wanting to leave will change that. One day, Stiles will realize this. Derek's content to wait, as long as he's there with him.

.

* * *

**End notes: **I'm going to go drown myself in my tears of shame now. Have a good day.


End file.
